In search of comprise: is there any hope left for reunification?
The resolution of the Cyprus problem remains to be the main topic on the island. After the negotiations in Switzerland failed, the two sides are looking to resume the process. Nicosia gets the supportive words from all over the world, but the problem is that it doe not depend entirely upon the government of the Republic.
It became obvious that the leaders of the occupied sides do not want to compromise in the very important (and pretty much the main) matter- the territorial issue.
For the entire year, while the sides were preparing for the final round of negotiations, Mustafa Akinci was talking about the importance of the reunification. However, right after the negotiations have failed, he flew to Istanbul, where he declared that the so-called TRNC is ready to act independently as unrecognised republic. Of course, this is greatly supported by Turkey.
Such a reaction made the experts think that Akinci did not really want to achieve reunification, but was merely trying to make impression that he participates in the process.
Nicos Anastasiades, while commenting the outcome of the negotiations, said that the last meeting was “one step back”. He made a few telephone calls and received support for the peaceful resolution both from Moscow and from Washington.
The head of the British Ministry of Foreign Affairs Boris Johnson also came to Cyprus. The Minister promised to assist in the search of compromise, just like Espen Darth Eide did. Whilst trying to bring the two sides closer, he even organised a dinner for the leaders of the two communities.
Fire at the largest power plant in Cyprus
A major fire broke out on the biggest power plant of the island. The desulphation plant of the 3rd block was completely destroyed by the fire.
According to the management of the plant, no interruptions of the electricity supply are expected. The investigations is underway.
The Vasiliko station supplies more than 50% of the households of the island. Nevertheless, it is not the first time that the emergency situations happens. 5 years ago the power plant was almost completely destroyed by the explosion on the neighboring military base. The government had to borrow money from other countries in order to rebuild the power plant.
The Cyprus economy shows stable growth
The Central Bank of Cyprus announced the expectation of the Cyprus economy to grow by 2,7% by the end of the year. Moreover, such tendency is expected to remain for the next two years.
According to the Head of the Central Bank, the reason for the stable growth is consistent internal consumption, as well as growth in investments and export.
During the year, the unemployment and State debt were reduced and in March the country has prematurely withdrawn from the financial help programme.
Weather is putting Cypriots to the test
The bad weather has caused significant inconvenience for the residents of the island. Strong downpours accompanied by strong winds have even led to flooding of some basements.
The electricity supply was interrupted in Polis, however the situation was resolved quite quickly. The wind was pulling down the trees and caused significant damage to the farmers. The forecast is that showers are possible over the next few days, however plenty of sunshine is expected too.
Draw between Russia and Cyprus
Last Tuesday, the Tsirion Athletic Centre in Limassol hosted the match between the U21 National teams of Russia and Cyprus.
The players of the second most important football league came to Cyprus and initially took the lead, but the Cyprus team equalised quickly, which resulted in 1:1 as the final score.
Furthermore, the next FNL Cup will take place in Cyprus in February. The list of participants ahs also been revealed- a total of 16 teams will visit Cyprus for this purpose.